Julia Morton facts for kids

Julia Francis McHugh Morton (born April 25, 1912, died September 10, 1996) was an American author and a scientist who studied plants, called a botanist. She was a professor of biology and led a special collection of plant information called the Morton Collectanea at the University of Miami. In 1974, she became a special member (a Fellow) of the Linnean Society of London, a famous group for scientists. Julia Morton was famous for teaching about plants that are poisonous, safe to eat, or useful in other ways. She wrote 10 books and 94 scientific papers, and also helped with 12 other books and 27 papers.

Julia Morton's Early Life

Julia Francis McHugh was born on April 25, 1912, in Middlebury, Vermont. She grew up on a 100-acre farm in Vermont, where she loved agriculture, the outdoors, and nature. When she was 15, her mother and sister died. Julia then moved to New York City to live with her brother.

She worked as a commercial artist for several years. Later, she married Kendal Paul Morton (1897–1964). By 1933, Julia and Kendal started collecting information about food, medicinal, and other useful plants. They gathered copies and clippings of existing materials and stored them in file cabinets. This collection was kept in an office near the New York Public Library and soon became known as The Morton Collectanea among scientists.

Working During World War II

When World War II began, the Mortons moved back to Canada. Kendal planned to join the military and edit a newspaper for soldiers. However, he could not join because of a heart problem.

Instead of staying in Canada or the US, the Mortons decided to move to the Bahamas. They put most of their plant collection in storage. But they took information about tropical fruits with them to Nassau. They believed this information would be helpful there.

In Nassau, the Mortons used their files and studied the local plants. They prepared a book called Fifty Tropical Fruits of Nassau. Julia was a great photographer and took pictures for almost all her future books. This 101-page book was published in 1946. A review in Plant Physiology said it was "well recommended by qualified botanists" and "richly illustrated."

Life in Florida and More Research

After the war, the Mortons were invited to work at the Subtropical Experimental Station in Homestead, Florida. They worked with scientists George Ruehle and Dr. Bruce Ledin. With Ledin, they wrote a book called 400 Plants of South Florida.

Their work caught the attention of Bowman Foster Ashe, the president of the University of Miami. He offered them jobs as professors at the Coral Gables campus.

Founding the Rare Fruit Council

Julia Morton and her husband Kendal helped start the original Rare Fruit Council. This group was founded on March 11, 1955, in Miami, Florida. Julia Morton herself named this "Tropical Fruit Study Group" the Rare Fruit Council after their first meeting.

Expanding the Morton Collectanea

President Ashe approved setting up the Collectanea at the new university campus. With help from Professor Taylor Alexander, the files were moved to a larger space. Students were hired to find and organize new information. This helped the Collectanea grow. Visiting scholars could also use the materials easily. By 1996, the Collectanea had 500 file drawers and information on about 15,000 plant species. It was a huge collection of manually organized plant facts.

Research on Poisonous and Useful Plants

At first, Julia and Kendal focused on edible plants. But their interest grew to include poisonous plants and other useful plants, both for food and for decoration. They published more books. Julia's plant photos were so good that they inspired two wall posters called "Plants Poisonous to People." One poster showed plants poisonous if eaten, and the other showed plants that irritate skin or breathing.

Kendal Morton died in 1964. Julia continued their research and field work. She researched how plants in the West Indies could be used to treat cancer for the National Cancer Institute. She also studied edible plants to help soldiers survive in the Philippines and Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. She even wrote survival guides for troops. Morton also surveyed cashew and other edible nut farms in Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru.

Expert on Plant Poisonings

Julia Morton became a well-known expert on plant poisonings. Local authorities often asked for her advice. She worked to teach the public about plant safety. Lawrence Kaplan, a botany professor, said, "She was the poison plant center in South Florida." Starting in 1954, the Poison Control Center sent most plant poisoning calls to her. Even though she received an honorary doctorate from Florida State University in 1973, she never went to college formally.

Morton kept writing, lecturing, and answering questions at the Collectanea even after she retired. She stopped teaching in 1993, after being a University of Miami professor for about 40 years. She was badly hurt in a car accident on August 28, 1996, and died on September 10, 1996.

Honors and Achievements

Julia Morton received many honors for her important work:

• She was a Research Professor of Biology and Director of the Morton Collectanea at the University of Miami.
• In 1973, she received an honorary doctorate from Florida State University for her research and writings for the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Defense.
• In 1974, she was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London.
• In 1978, she was named the first Distinguished Economic Botanist by the international Society for Economic Botany.
• In 1979, she served as President of the Florida State Horticultural Society.

See also

In Spanish: Julia Morton para niños